Chester City Walk

The walk is highly recommended. Outside of two very beautiful shopping streets, you would probably miss out on many nice places around them. We walk through the park, along canals where there is a lot of ambiance and over a historic Roman bridge. A little later it goes along the banks of River Dee and past the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. However, there is nothing left of this. We walk over the medieval city walls, through old city gates and in tiny alleys. Finally, we stroll past some beautiful old Gothic churches and through characterful streets with charming shops.

Chester has a rich history dating back to the time of the Romans. They wanted to make this place the capital of their province Brittanica. The city is particularly charming with many medieval buildings and very beautiful half-timbered houses as we also know from Strasbourg. The medieval touch together with the presence of water are sometimes reminiscent of Bruges. The historic center is still almost completely walled, which makes Chester truly special.

The city wall of about 3 kilometers was built by the Romans and was regularly modified during the Middle Ages. The wall has remained unchanged since 1200. The wall encloses Victorian and Tudorian buildings in the city centre and is an ideal way to further discover Chester. With the tourist information they also distribute leaflets that provide extra information for hikers on the wall.

In the center, be sure to stroll along The Rows, four medieval shopping streets that fan out diagonally between the two central streets. These moults are flanked by covered beautiful shopping arcades in two floors with numerous original small shops and restaurants.

Don't skip St. John The Baptist Church. This photogenic place combines a church of more than 1000 years old with the ruins of an attached Gothic monastery. It is reminiscent of a small version of the mysterious and also photogenic Villers-la-Ville in Belgium.

The city certainly offers enough variety to keep you entertained for half a day. Also, stop at the Roman Museum and pay an extensive visit to the Gothic cathedral. Then Chester is easily a full-day trip.